Fair Raven
by shadowjack12345
Summary: A tumblr prompt-inspired one-shot. Not quite what was intended, I'm sure but I hope you like it anyway.


**Fair Raven**

**A prompt from jewelmania21 on tumblr led to this. I doubt this was what they had in mind...**

"I... am going to _kill_ Robin!"

Wisely, Robin himself looked rather nervous upon hearing the threat. Or was it a promise? Either way, he uncharacteristically turned around and walked briskly in the other direction, putting some distance between himself and the danger. Danger that currently wore a faux-medieval dress in deep blue and a conical hennin on her head. Danger named Raven. She sat several feet above the ground in a facsimile of the obligatory tower, surrounded by a tiny moat and a rather simple-looking obstacle course. She and the other Titans had volunteered their services for this medieval-themed fair as all profits were for charitable causes: there was no way Robin would turn down that kind of P.R. stunt! Raven regretted agreeing without really listening though, in her defence, she found Robin's speeches incredibly boring. So she sat, Beast Boy on the ground at her side wearing a squire's costume, looking rather disgruntled. She looked to her right: there Starfire sat in an identical tower looking over an identical obstacle course. Each had a line of competitors looking eager and, Raven thought, unnervingly smug. What was she missing?

"Good morrow, challengers!" Cyborg hollered, standing between the two courses. The men and women in the lines cheered. "In a few moments, we'll have you start taking turns on the courses. Whoever reaches the fair maiden," he said, gesturing dramatically toward a grumbling Raven and jubilant Starfire, "will win the prize!"

"Hmph... how did I let myself get talked into this?" Raven muttered to herself.

"Because you didn't listen at the tower," Beast Boy whispered back. Raven grimaced.

"If you noticed you could have told me," she growled. Beast Boy laughed.

"You mean be in the same room as you when you found out? I may be an idiot, Rae but I ain't _that_ stupid!" he said. Raven just about managed not to smile. "Don't worry, you got your faithful manservant right here," he said, jamming a thumb into his chest.

"Oh, joy of joys," Raven drawled. "That makes everything better." Beast Boy chose to ignore sarcasm.

"Glad I could help, m'lady," he giggled. Raven blushed a little when he waggled his eyebrows, using a jolt of power to yank his hat down over his eyes. When he corrected it, however, he still only grinned up at her. Raven realised Cyborg had finished explaining the rules and tuned back in.

"And once you've been declared the winner, each victor will receive their prize: a kiss from your fair maiden!" he said to much applause. The applause stalled for a moment when Raven leapt to her feet and glared at the cybernetic Titan.

"_WWWWWWWHHHAT!?_" she yelled, her voice unnaturally loud. Cyborg merely grinned, working the crowd up to applause again. Raven looked down at Beast Boy: his look of surprise was genuine. He clearly didn't know.

"R-Rae! I... I didn't-" he stammered.

"I know," Raven seethed. "But now I am going to kill Cyborg _and_ Robin." Beast Boy looked apologetic.

"You want me to call it off?" he asked. Raven honestly considered it but remembered the reason they were here in the first place.

"I can't just leave... though if you think of any other way to get me out of this, I'll consider it," she half-joked. Beast Boy nodded, seriously. There was a ringing bell and the first of both groups began their run. Hearing exclamations and amazed whispers, Raven glanced over at Starfire's course - the challenger was very impressive... _too _impressive. Raven gave his aura a quick scan as his entire face was obscured by his costume. It was Robin. Her fingers gripped the wooden window frame of her fake tower, her nails gouging the material. Beast Boy followed her gaze - he recognised that jump!

"Robin?" he whispered at Raven.

"Robin," she seethed. "That little _shit_!" Beast Boy was thoroughly entertained by Raven's profanity but he had other things on his mind. If Robin was cheating for Starfire, maybe he could cheat to rescue Raven. Just as an idea entered his head, Raven's first challenger reached the finish line and, perhaps unwisely, winked and blew a kiss at the fuming sorceress. Fortunately (for him) she hadn't even noticed. Before he moved away, Beast Boy stopped him.

"Wait! There's... uh... another obstacle for this course," he said. The challenger gave him a confused look.

"Yeah?" he asked. Beast Boy nodded. He had equipped himself with a toy wooden sword and now handed it over.

"Every knight should fight for his princess, right?" he said, winking at the challenger. The man swung the sword around with a smug grin.

"Yeah, okay. So what, you got like a dragon pinata back there or something?" he asked. Beast Boy smiled.

"... or something," he muttered. He stepped behind Raven's tower, the 'fair maiden' within finally wondering what he was doing. The first, and every other challenger still waiting, paled as an enormous, green dragon emerged and stepped around the tower, winding its body around it. To his credit, the trembling challenger pointed his sword at the creature. Beast Boy leaned down and puffed a tiny blast of flame, setting the tip of the sword alight. The challenger fled, followed by a slightly less panicked crowd of his fellows. Throughout, Raven had grinned sadistically and, to Beast Boy's lasting amazement, even laughed as he frightened off her 'suitors'. Cyborg frowned at the pair as Beast Boy shrank back down to a costumed young man and Raven descended and exited her tower, nudging him with her elbow.

"My hero," she said with a smirk, earning a sheepish laugh from Beast Boy. "Well, if I'm done here, I'm going to go and plot the demise of Robin and Cyborg." Beast Boy called after her.

"Hold up, Rae," he said. "If I'm the one who rescued you, don't I get the prize?" he said, smiling and, once again, waggling his eyebrows. Still amused, Raven merely chuckled at the joke, turning away again. Then she stopped dead, her eyes wide. She slowly turned to regard her green comrade. When she had laughed off his request, she had felt a spike of real emotion from him: disappointment. Beast Boy himself now looked rather nervous, perhaps realising he had given himself away with that last remark. It felt like Raven was staring right through him. They stood that way for a long time, her staring and him unable to escape.

"You want a kiss from me, Beast Boy?" she asked.

"Pshh! Nah, I was just... just foolin'," Beast Boy replied while also emitting a flattering amount of longing. Raven smirked and Beast Boy sighed in relief.

"You're a terrible liar," she said. Beast Boy's terror returned and redoubled.

"I'm sorry, Rae..." he muttered.

"As well you should be!" Raven snapped, making him wince. "The least you could do is buy me dinner first." At first he nodded submissively, until the words sank in and he looked up, confused.

"Huh?" he said, intelligently. Raven rolled her eyes.

"Oh, for crying out loud... ask me out, you twit," she said impatiently, though there was a hint of humour and fondness in her words. Beast Boy stared, dumbstruck. "Well? I'm waiting," Raven said, tapping her foot. Beast Boy shook hs head.

"Right! Uh... you wanna go out some time?" he blurted. Raven only raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh! I mean... would you like to go out to dinner some time, Rae? VEN! Raven..." he tried. Raven tilted her head and narrowed her eyes, like she was examining him.

"Terrible," she said. Beast Boy sulked. "So where are we going?" He looked up at her. She was smiling. Not smirking or grinning or laughing... just smiling. At him. Oh, wait... she had asked him something.

"Uhhh..." he contributed. Raven rolled her eyes again and began to walk away again.

"Oh, Azar... I'll let you know where we're going and- are you coming?" she said, causing Beast Boy to run to catch up, almost tripping over his feet.

Cyborg and Robin, now out of his knight costume, stood and watched the pair leave with identical looks of disbelief.

"Did that just happen?" Robin asked.

"Yea... verily," Cyborg replied. Robin gave him an odd look and walked away. "What? I'm in character. What? _What_?!"

**Bit of nonsense at the end there. Whatevs. I know this wasn't the prompt but I suck at AU stuff so this is my compromise. If I ever get a genuine Medieval BBRae idea, I'll let you know ^_^**

**-Jack**


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